[Compassion fatigue and coping strategies for hospital nurses]

Over-involvement in patient trauma and loss in clinical settings negatively affects nurses and may cause compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue is associated with prolonged exposure to trauma cases, over-involvement in patient situations and over-extending caring energies. Nurses unable to adapt and cope may suffer physically and psychologically, reduce their quality of care, cause medical care costs to increase, and ultimately become frustrated and decide to leave the nursing profession. While current approaches to addressing compassion fatigue focus on evaluating individual nurse situations, adjusting attitudes, holding education programs, and bolstering support systems, little research attention has been directed toward the consequences of such on patient care or the origins of compassion fatigue in Taiwan nurses. This paper defines compassion fatigue, examines its importance and consequences, and delineates common nursing coping strategies in Taiwan. Findings expand domestic research on this phenomenon and suggest relevant theories and effective interventions to achieve remediation.